St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-09-15
MORALITY ON THE STAGE.
The Price of a Woman's Success as an
Actress.

| ter that has been discussed until it is
well nigh threadbare but as long as
intelligent people persist in being
stage-struck SO long will the subject
bear continued discussion. A cores
pondent of the Boston Record presents
few inside facts of special interest to
stage-struck women that will bear
thoughtful consideration. He says:
A group of players stood on the plat
form of the railroad station at Cincin-
natl one day when l was travelling
that way. They were a sorry looking
lot. The chorus girls were huddled
together, chatting in low voices and
drawing their wraps closely around
them. The weather was bitterly cold.
Many of the girls were thinly clad. 1t
was 8 O'clock in the morning. While
| stood looking at the bakers dozen of
shivering young women the comedian
of the company, who is now famous
man, came up, and, looking hard at
me, put out his hand.
"Watch this little tableau." He
drew me half aside. A carriage rolled
up to the station, the door was yanked
open, and the manager of the COM
pany, portly, red-nOsed and fabby
man, stepped out. He was smoking IL
cigar. He put his hand back in the
coach and helped IA young woman to
the ground. She was clad in sealskin
from her neck to her heels, we'll GLOW
ed, and her chubby face had healthy
color. She had little poodle in her
arms, and after giving it an ecstatic
hug she passed it over to her man;
who followed her out of the carriage.
The manager paid the cabman, smiled
amicably upon his companion, and
they staggered toward the train, with
the maid walking amiably behind them.
The manager nodded half surlily to
the women of the chorus who stood
there, and the girl gave them bright
little nod. Most of them bowed in re-
turn in a restrained and far from cor
dial fashion.
The chunky young woman was as
sisted into a parlOr car, where she had
compartment to herself. They be-
gan to lay the table for breakfast be-
fore the train started from the station.
The chorus girls stood in the cold and
gazed in at the luxuries and warmed
interior of the Car. Presently one of
the agents came along and huddled
them all back to the rear of the train,
where they were bundled into rick
ETY., chilled and ill-smelling car, with
rafting windows and no other warmth
except that impaired by queer and
far from effec tive stove at one end,
Here they disposed themselves amid
their miserable and dismal surround
ings as best they could for an eight
hours journey Oh one OF the worst
days of the season.
"That tells the story" said the COM
edian shortly, nOdding his head first
toward the rear Car and then toward
the window where the young woman
was at breakfast. "The girl who came
in with the manager was one of the
chorus when we left New York. Her
salary, like that of the other girls, was
$I4 week. We had not been out "a
day before she saw the inevitable, took
the plunge and there was the whole
story. She lives at the very best no
tells, has comfortable apartments, SER
wants in plenty, furs, nutritious meals
and the best of travelling arrange
ments. The other young women who
started with her on an even footing
live in cheap and nasty boarding
houses, are transported from one town
to the other like cattle, and they wait
for promotion with a very dismal pre-
mOnitiOn that, whenever vacancy
occurs in the upper ranks, it is the
managers favorite who will get it and
not the girl who deserves it according
to merit.
"Virtue on the stage and in travel
ling company means what you can see
i'm the rear car. The women have to
carry their own luggage, pay their own
bills and fight the thousand extortion-
ate demands that are met with at ev
cry turn in travelling. But if they
once give way the way is clear. Some
of them stand it couple of days, some
of them a week, and others stick out
for a month or two, but the result is
almost as inevitable as DEATH"
This instance was brought to my
mind very fOrcibly last night by an
accidental meeting with a young wO-
man who went on the stage two years
ago. She was the sister of a class
mate of mine in college, and when she
went on the stage it almost broke her
mothers heart. Che man with whom
she had dealings was a cOnsummate
scOundrel. The details of the patience
and ingenuity he displayed would
have done credit to a MephistOpheles.
He was fatherly and benevolent. He
introduced the pretty sOubrette in his
to his family, and insisted
upon her stopping a week with him in
his country place. He took her to
drive with his two daughters to the
park, and he was so careful of her rep |
utatiOn that he would not allow her to
meet the members of his company, eX
cept at rehearsals. Then he perform
ed the intrOductiOns himself. He was
careful to see that she al
ways had an escort to her house at
night at the play, and he held especial
just for her benefit, so that
she might make as much of a hit as
possible in the part she played. All |
of this went along for nearly seven
months.
The girl had naturally grown fond |
of him, so unremitting and respectful
were his attentions. But in the end,
she had to face the inevitable. He
placed the matter before her as abso-
lutely and badly as though it had
been hunk of cheese, with the alter
native of success in her profession or
an absolute and instant discharge. She
tore up the contract, threw it in his
face and accepted the discharge. Then
she joined company in neighbor-
ing city. She is not particularly ro-
bust girl, and she has the gentlest and
sweetest manner in the world. She is,
in fact, precisely the sort of woman
whom any man who is half a man
would feel called upon to protect ra-
5her than abuse.
She is of admirable family and ex-
bred. The second manager
that she went with was of the gruff
aud hearty type. He was going to